Biodegradation of filled styrene-acrylic coatings in a laboratory kinetic plant

Abstract

Abstract Styrene-acrylic polymer coatings rank among the most popular materials of the construction industry that protect structures from corrosion. Biocorrosion is considered to be one of quite dangerous and less studied types of destruction. There is a State standard method of testing materials for biostability in which a qualitative assessment of the resistance of coatings to biodegradation is carried out, but still it doesn’t provide the full picture of the destruction degree of the material caused by the biodegradation. Besides, the test duration is 28 days. The most informative and convenient is the kinetic method of research. It includes the applying of the facility involving exposure of coating samples in a solution of carboxylic acids (model medium) which significantly reduces the test period and also eliminates the work with microorganisms. The studies were carried out on styrene-acrylic filled free films. The changes in material was evaluated by quantitative and qualitative indicators: the change in the mass of the initial and exposed samples of free films, their geometric parameters, as well as a visual assessment (using a microscope) of the surface state of the coatings before and after exposure, including the use of the CIELab method. It was found that the level of the determined characteristics of styrene-acrylic free films when exposed in a model medium is reduced by 10-15%.